Spring heel for shoes



June 5, 1951 J. OSTROM SPRING HEEL FOR SHOES Filed Feb. 23, 1950 INVENTOR John 146 051mm.

BY/W

ATTORNEY Patented June 5 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING HEEL FOR SHOES John W. ostrom, New Haven, Conn.

Application February 23, 1950, Serial No. 145,832

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to heels of shoes worn by individuals while walking and more particularly to heels which are attached to the shoes in such a manner that they are constantly under the action of a spring, or springs, so that the shocks of stepping will be efficiently cushioned. The spring heel of this invention will also tend to reduce uneven wear on theheel and will be par"- ticularly relaxing to stand on.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved heel for a" shoe whereby uneven wear on the heel willbe reduced to a minimum, the: heel will be effective to cause a relaxing of the foot and leg muscleswhen stoodupon, andwvill cushion the shock of being walked upon.

Another object is to provide in a heel'of'the above nature means to pivotally attach the heel to a shoe bottom? in such a manner that it will swing downwardly at its rear end and to provide improved" spring means to constantly urge it downwardly.

Still another object is to provide in combination with a shoe heel, improved means to springably attach the same to a shoe bottom whereby walking action causing uneven wear on the heel -will be corrected.

A further object is to provide a spring heel for a shoe which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, compact, of

pleasing appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, there have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings several forms in which the features and principles of this invention may be practically and conveniently embodied.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a heel structure partly in section, embodying the features and principles of this invention applied to a shoe, only the rear end of the shoe being shown;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the elements shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a heel structure, partly in section, of somewhat modified form; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, of another modified form of heel structure.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the reference numeral M denotes a shoe counter portion and the numeral |2 denotes the sole portion of the shoe atthe rear end thereof. shoe heel, is provided and is hingedly connected at its front end to the shoe sole |2 by a hinge 4 so that its rear end may swing downwardly away from the shoe sole I2.

rivets |8 and I9 one [5 to the sole l2and'one I 6 to the heel l3. The hinge leaf |6 is disposed in a cut out portion ll of the heel Hi to insure that the heel I3, when it is swung upwardly against the sole l2, will be parallel therewith and have its upper surface engage the undersurface of the sole l2 evenly over its entire area.

A plate 2| is connected, as by rivets 22, to the underside of the rear end of the sole l2 and extends rearwardly therefrom. The rear end of the plate 2| has three holes 23, preferably arranged in an arc about the plate end, provided therein. A plate 24 isconnected, as by rivets 25 tolthe upper surface of the rear end of theheel H3 and extends rearwardly therefrom. The rear end of the plate 24 has three holes 26, preferably arranged in an are about the plate end, provided therein, the holes 26 in the plate 24 substantially align with the holes 23 in the plate 2|.

Three rods 21 each having a head 28 extend upwardly one through each of the holes 23 and 26 with the heads 28 thereof disposed underneath the plate 24. A nut 29 secures the rods to the plate 24. The rods 21 extend upwardly beyond the plate 2| and through holes 30 provided in a third plate 3|. The plate 3| extends about the rear portion of the shoe above the s01e I2 and the rods 21 are firmly secured to this plate 2| by nuts 32, one nut 32 on each rod above and below the plate 3|. A coiled tension spring 33 has one of its ends clamped to the plate 3| under one of the nuts 32 and its other end threaded downwardly through the plate 2| and turned over in under the plate 2| to attach it thereto. A spring 33 is provided encircling each rod 21. The rear and side edges of the plate 24, attached to the heel l3, are bent upwardly to form a flange 34 thereabout which extends above the plate 3| and has its upper edge bent inwardly, as at 35, to substantially cover the plate 3|.

The provision of the above described structural features in combination with the shoe sole |2 and the heel i3 insures an efiicient cushioning of the shock upon a persons heel while walking. Depression, or upward pressure, of the heel I3 when the weight of a person is applied thereto,

A heel I3, similar to the usual The leaves l5' and It of the hinge M are suitably connected as by stretches the springs 33 thus decreasing the shock upon the persons heel while walking. Either of the outer, or side, springs 33 may be made stronger, in tension, than the other two, whereby the side of the heel affected thereby will require greater pressure to swing it upwardly and thus result in more even wear across the rear end of the heel. By the use of the device of this invention the ankle and calf muscles of a person using the same will be in more relaxed condition, while standing for a long period of time upon the heels.

Figure 5 illustrates a somewhat different arrangement of the three springs whereby the plate 3| is omitted. In this form each of the tension springs 4|, one only being shown, have one end attached by a bolt 42 to the plate 2! and extends upwardly therefrom and has its upper end attached to the overhanging portion 35 of the flange 34 by a bolt 43. The same action results and the same advantages are obtained by this arrangement and structure as those obtained by the previously described form shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

Figure 6 illustrates another arrangement whereby the plate 3| is omitted. In this form the plate 5|, attached to the shoe sole [2, is offset upwardly at its rear end 52. Three compression springs 53, one only being shown, are disposed, about rods 54, between the plate 24 and the offset portion 52 of the plate 5!. The rods 54 have heads 55 disposed on the upper surface of the plate 5! and extend downwardly through the portion 52 to be screwed into the plate 24. In this form the flange 56 is considerably less in height than are the flanges 34 of the other forms. The same advantages are obtained by this arrangement and structure as those obtained by the previously described forms, the action being a compression of the springs 53 instead of stretching as in the previously described forms.

While there have been shown herein several forms in which the features and principles of this invention may be embodied in practice, it will be understood that thesame may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, is:

Means to constantly urge the rear end of a heel hinged at its front end to a shoe sole comprising a first plate adapted to be attached to the upper surface of the shoe heel, a second plate adapted to be attached to the undersurface of the shoe sole, a third plate disposed above the second plate, a rod fastened to and extending from the first plate, through the second plate and fastened to the third plate, and a spring fastened to the second plate and to said third plate tensioned to constantly urge the first plate with the heel away from the second plate and the shoe sole.

JOHN W. OSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,447,603 Snyder Aug. 24, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,130 Germany Nov. 15, 1881 

